Keepers of the Empire
by kay nee
Summary: A new team of vigilantes surfaces, much to the surprise and caution of the official heroes. To their distress, they don't know much about the group. Can they be trusted? And are they really out for the safety of the city or are they just making things a mess? An SYOC.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The team gathered around the large screens, currently showing a still shot of several mask-wearing people. Their outfits were amateur, consisting mainly of sweaters and jeans. It was difficult to ID them, considering that they were smart enough to not wear any bright colors that could possibly stand out in the night.

"Who are they?" Kaldur asked.

"We don't know." Sitting down in front of the monitor, Barbara answered. She hit a couple of buttons on the keyboard and the still began to move. The video showed the group running out of a building. One person was carrying a bystander; this was only obvious because of the clothing. The group was followed by others, looking just as scary as they did angry in the bad camera lighting. They engaged in a fight with those dressed in black. Most of them, anyway.

One, with hair tied back in a ponytail, noticed the security camera focused at them. She made a gesture toward one of her teammates; she was probably talking too, but the lack of sound on the video kept them from knowing for sure. Knocking one of the followers to the ground, the other person ran to the girl. Stopping to kneel down, they gave the girl a boost. With the help of her friend, the girl was able to just barely reach the video camera. That seemed to be enough because just as she touched it, the source cut out, leaving nothing but white noise on the heroes' monitor.

"As far as we know, they're just vigilantes." The redhead went finished. "But, I'm keeping watch on them."

The team leader nodded in approval.

**A/N: Okay, so this is an SYOC. I'm pretty knew at this, so I hope the prologue is acceptable. If you wish to apply, the application is located on my profile, along with the rules and everything else. Also, this story will not contain a lot of The Team; it will focus mainly on the submitted characters and their adventures. I hope you choose to apply!**


	2. Assignment

Entering the team's room in the Watchtower, Jaime was able to overhear the conversation between his two teammates. Batgirl, though half the screens were filled with static, was typing away at her keyboard. Kaldur'ahm was standing nearby, reserved, as always.

"This video was taken in Empire City," She announced. "In front of a building often used by a small-time mafia."

"What's going on?" The Hispanic asked. As he adjusted his sweater, he walked up to his friend, Bart, who was currently standing with their newest addition: Virgil Hawkins.

"There's this new group of… heroes?"

"I'd say heroes." Virgil nodded at Bart's unsure tone. "They did just rescue someone."

"They could just be crazy." suggested Batgirl, grinning a little.

Jaime raised an eyebrow. "I'm still not getting the whole story here."

Bart opened his mouth to continue, but abruptly stopped. He closed his mouth , forming a small frown, then shrugged. "That's about it; there's not much else we know about them."

"On the screen," said Batgirl, staring at the computer. "The video, I mean." She corrected, motioning to the static. "I could barely make out one female figure, the one who messed with the cameras. It wasn't a normal thing. It seemed like she knew what she was doing."

"Meaning?" asked Jamie.

"It's a power. We could check the League's server about it. They have a list of nearly all super-powered humans on earth. They could be in there." she stated.

"Why get the League involved?" said Bart. "We can handle this!"

"Then I'll hack the sever, but it could take a few hours to a few weeks." said Batgirl.

"We might not have that time." warned Jaime.

"So you three," Kaldur's voice was unmistakable in the room. He took up a serious and commanding tone, so the teens knew it meant business. The boys turned their attention to their leader. "You're headed out to Empire City."

**A/N: Hey there! Another chapter, just to give a little more plot to the story, I guess. Also, a big thanks to rlb190, who helped me out and pretty much co-wrote this chapter. **

**Anyways, submissions are still open! You can submit until April 30****th****. And really sorry to the guest reviewers, but I'm only accepting through private messages. The application, and everything else, is on my profile. So yep, thanks for your time and I hope you submit. :D**


	3. Phase One

**A/N: Hello there all! It's finally here. This is basically an introduction chapter, so it's kinda list-like and slow. I hope you guys like it. Also, a big thanks to everyone who submitted a character! This chapter does not contain all accepted OCs; a full list is on my profile. **

**Oh, and thank you to rlb190 for beta-reading!**

Virgil met up with Bart and Jaime as he hopped down the steps in front of the police station. They had done well to investigate the scene pictured in the video, after watching it quite a few times. To be honest, they were complaining about not having Robin helping them out, but he was stationed in Gotham at the moment with his mentor. Without him, the boys decided to go about their detective work alone. After all, it was their assignment.

At the mafia-used building, nothing seemed out of place, as far as they could tell. A couple of shoe prints─ not much help ─and washed out old blood stains. That inspired a little hope in the heroes step, but doubt was still there. It could be the thugs' blood as much as the new team of "heroes."

"Anything?" Bart, content in his civvies, asked with a hopeful grin. Standing behind him, with his hands in his pockets, Jaime was much more straight-faced.

Virgil shrugged. "Not much. But someone was dropped off that night the video was taken. And the times are consistent with each other."

He hadn't exactly gotten permission from the police to go into their files, but with the help of his friends, he didn't need it.

"Did it say who?"

* * *

The remnants of the sunlight danced against the city's buildings. Staring out at the sunset, Isaac sighed.

They were late. He should have known; maybe he should have picked them up.

Finally, after a few minutes more, the rooftop door opened with a loud squeaky shrill. He turned, relieved to see someone familiar.

"Took you long enough. What happened; get lost along the way?"

The boy asked to the approaching group. Isaac was a nice guy, for the most part. He wasn't going to be mad at them for running late. Nikki, a girl who possessed the ability to teleport, groaned and pointed back to the door, where the others have yet to come out of. She was a junior, like Isaac. She came across the team when it was still in its beginning stage. Hesitant, and a little bit annoyed by them at first, Nikki initially didn't want to join. But after some time, she did, mainly just to rebel, even if her family knew nothing of her hero-life.

"What?" The blonde boy tilted his head to one side in confusion. Soon enough, he got an answer when the others appeared.

"Surprise." Mel, a small girl with black ringlet-curly hair and green eyes, said and stepped aside to reveal Mocha.

Isaac's amazingly friendly blue eyes widened, if only in wonder.

"It's my uniform; like it?" She asked, twirling around to let them get a full view. Behind her, their second male member of the team, stood Cameron.

Cameron was pretty tech-geeky like Mocha; often their shared interests resulted in the two working together. He smiled, a soft chuckle escaping his lips, as he walked passed her. "What? You guys all had one! I thought it was about time that I made one for myself."

"What's that?" Isaac pointed to the chest.

"My logo." She seemed so proud of it. With her hands on her hips, she grinned.

"All right." Nikki, or rather Shadow as she had placed on her domino mask, took control of the task at hand. "Enough of that. You said you found something out."

"Oh, right!" Mocha replied. Everyone turned to her. "That girl, the one we dropped off at the police station─"

"Quinn Vertt." Melody, who preferred the name Alectrona when she was in character, filled in. Quinn was sort of her friend; the two had several classes together and spoke quite a bit. "What about her?"

"She's gone."

"What do you mean she's gone?" questioned Nikki. Her voice was a bit intimidating to the others at most, but the best of them didn't stir. "We just found her!"

"Calm down, Shadow." Fang, which was the name Isaac took up for his alter ego, touched the girl's shoulder. "Gizmo, what happened?"

"Well─"

"We got this video," Cameron, appropriately named Techie, or sometimes just T, interrupted, as he could hear the hesitation in his friend's voice. "She kind of just slipped out."

"'Slipped out' how?" Alectrona insisted the two explain.

"Like, she phased through the wall." Continued the younger of two boys.

The news hit the three others at about the same time. It was almost funny to look at how they were analyzing that piece of information.

"She's a Meta." Fang's shaggy blonde hair blew in the wind as he kept eye contact with the two freshmen.

As expected, Alectrona spoke up with another concern. "The security cameras─"

"Already wiped the database." Mocha nodded at her unease.

"We need to get to her."

"Really? I hadn't thought of that yet."

* * *

Quinn had discovered her Meta-Human ability about a year ago; the power to phase through objects. It was pretty cool; complex, physics-filled, and yet, useful. She was somewhat short, standing at a height of five feet and four inches, just an inch taller than Mel. The hero business was still new to her, but she was just experimenting.

After all, she never really planned on getting caught.

She did though and when she woke up, she was sitting on a hard wooden bench in Empire City's police station. That wasn't a good place to be; Empire City was alarmingly close to being as corrupt as Gotham at inopportune moments. As upbeat as Quinn was, she had to get out of there.

Now, she was walking along the city streets. Mask-less and casual, there was nothing distinct about her that let others know she was a Meta-Human. It was just as well though; she was on her way to dance class. She had missed yesterday's and was determined not to have a streak of absences.

"Anything?"

"There's a lot of people in this city, Mel. Be patient." Mocha replied through gritted teeth as she vigorously watched her laptop screen.

"I thought you were Miss Technology." Nikki's voice appeared in the radio line. Currently, they were all out in the city, besides Gizmo and Techie who stayed on the rooftop, looking for Quinn.

"I am. But that doesn't mean I can pick someone out in the middle of the street." She replied. Her computer continued to analyze facial structures, heights, etc. of pedestrians for similarities to that of Quinn's. It wasn't a typical computer program, but that wasn't a problem. Cameron hacked into the city's system, allowing Mocha to broadcast images from street cameras through an antenna.

"Is there any way to make it go faster?" came Isaac's voice through the headphone. Really, they just wanted to make sure she was safe. And, maybe, just maybe, be a part of the team.

"We're going as fast as we can." replied Cameron.

"Wait! I found her!"

"Where!?" The three out in the city questioned in unison.

"Fourth and Broad; towards the gym."

"Good work guys. We're on our way." Isaac replied. Mocha smiled, as did Cameron.

"Let's go."

"Iznul, we have a confirmation on their position." A female wearing a black stomach-baring shirt spoke into a walkie-talkie. Her red lips curved into a smile as she watched the two teens pack up their gear from a couple of rooftops away. She watched them through her binoculars.

"Good, Misandry. Keep an eye on them."

**A/N: I really hoped you guys liked it. Let me now if you have any suggestions or have tips about how to write your character. Thank you! :D**


	4. Surprise

It was long past dark by the time Techie and Gizmo reached the rest of the group. Not that they were late or anything… just behind. Luckily, along the way, they hadn't lost contact. Quinn, (still the team's main priority at the moment), was inside the gym. And so, they waited, because they couldn't so much as burst inside and create a scene. It would be impractical, and they'd probably get arrested.

"Looks like her ballet class is over." Alectrona peeked into the class from the glass ceiling.

"Finally! That took all night." Nikki groaned, wanting to do something better with her time, like go on patrol in the city, rather than staking out a high school girl during her dancing lessons. Ballet, it's killed more heroes than the job itself.

"It was a little over an hour and a half, Shadow. Be calm." The three on the rooftop softly laughed at the over exaggeration.

Down on the ground level were the two freshman, doing not much more than waiting. That is, until they heard Fang's voice over their communicators. "Heads up; she's coming your way."

"Target confirmed." T replied as he spotted the long, wavy black hair that belonged to Quinn.

"We're on our way down. Don't let her out of your sights."

"All this to ask her to join our motley crew of Metas?" Gizmo gave Techie a questioning look. "Couldn't we just ask her at school?"

"You wanna be the one to approach her at school?" replied the green eyed boy. He was barely visible in his outfit─ which consisted of a long sleeved black t-shirt, matching black cargo pants, and army boots ─from a far distance, considering the darkening sky. "Because I don't; not out in the open in front of everyone where, you know, it can very likely blow up in our faces."

There was no reply from Gizmo. She stayed silent and carefully watched Quinn. Then, the rest of their team dropped down, surrounding Quinn. In hindsight, that probably was not such a good plan. They were all dressed in costume; Isaac's/Fang's consisted of a navy leather jacket, rather dark even in the open against the dim light of the lamp posts, over a white shirt and black pants. With his black fingerless gloves, combat boots, and brown leather aviator goggles placed on his head, there was no doubt that he didn't look questionable.

Quinn's gazed, though short on each person, turned to who stood next to Isaac: Nikki, or rather, Shadow. Her name was as appropriate as it could get, with her domino mask, black combat boots, and a black jumpsuit with purple edging. Over it all, she had a leather jacket. What was funny, or ironic really, was that, at first, Shadow was never one for the "superhero costume" thing. But, they managed to convince her and now she refused to not wear it when they were running about the city.

And Mel: as Alectrona, she wore a slim full body spandex suit that had three-quarter length sleeves. It was mainly black, not unlike everyone else. It had a straight neckline with a zipper, which she left open just a little at the top. Around the edges, starting from the underside of her wrists, going to the sides of her stomach, and stopping at the outsides of her mid-thigh was yellow padded paneling. For the sake of breaking apart the solidness of the outfit, she had a belt, with a sun buckle on it. What probably threw Quinn off was the yellow lensed, black Bugeye Cyber Goggles Alectrona was wearing. She had four inch wedged, lace-up boots, going to her mid-calf, and black gloves that only covered her middle and ring fingers, and thumbs.

Before anyone even spoke, Quinn was ready for action. Having come out of the gym, she was still hyped up. Plus, taking in the fact that she had been doing ballet, and doing it very well, she was nimble and definitely graceful. Immediately, she threw a punch straight forward, as best she could, and managed to land the hit on Fang, who was currently trying to approach her after he saw the panic flash across her face. The hit hurt her hand more than it had Isaac. As he reached out, she evaded his grip. But just barely.

He wasn't able to get a word in edgewise; she was too busy being in self-defense mode. And she was focused on him, making sure he wouldn't grab a hold of her. However, that left the others out of the way, so when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she freaked out.

It had been Mocha that reached out, trying to let them know that they didn't mean to hurt her. It didn't, though.

Quinn rounded on the shorter girl, slapping her hand away, and then pushed her. Cameron barely managed to catch her before she hit the ground and helped her regain her balance. Isaac threw a glance at the two, giving them a concerned look. Mocha gave him thumbs up and the tension eased just a little out of his shoulders.

When he redirected his gaze toward their target, he wasn't surprised to see that she had made a break for it, with Mel running after her.

"This just got fun." Shadow smiled then disappeared completely. Not a moment later, she was directly in front of Quinn, in a stance that let the other girl know there was no way around her. Quinn slid to a stop, so as to not run into the masked figure with the brown pixie-cut hairstyle. Every way she tried to run, Shadow would suddenly appear in her way, with a small, but noticeable smirk.

"Leave me alone!" She shouted in frustration then phased through a tree in an attempt to get away.

"Quinn!"

She faltered, surprised at the sound of her name. What surprised her even more, though, was that she recognized the voice. When she turned around, she saw someone running toward her.

"Quinn, wait! We're not going to hurt you."

Alectrona came to a halt in front of her and, panting, threw off the goggles concealing her face.

Quinn gasped. "Mel?"

The others were running for them as fast as they could. Mocha, noticing that Mel was no longer hiding her identity, pulled down her own mask and gave a reassuring smile. That got Isaac, who probably would have preferred to stay on the professional side, to take his off as well. Hesitantly, Cameron and Nikki followed suit. For the most part, Quinn recognized everyone.

"What the heck, you guys? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She asked, her long ponytail swaying as she looked around at each of them. The adrenaline was still pumping through her veins causing Quinn to visibly shake. Nikki watched her closely, especially after she went quiet. And it only dawned on the others when Quinn had fully stomached the situation.

"Oh my god." She thought back to her encounter with Shadow and her teleporting skills. It didn't take much to connect the dots, or in this case, the people that were hanging out around her. "You're Metas, aren't you?"

No one answered her, they only gave innocent grins.

Suddenly, Quinn began to laugh and took in the full aspect of their choice of attire. "You're kidding me. Are you guys' superheroes or something? Because, to be honest, you look more like robbers with a different fashion sense."

"That's stereotypical." Isaac replied, giving a fake frown. He was joking, really. "And I find it insulting."

"We're more like… 'Watcher-Over's,' actually." Explained Nikki, with a shrug as she ignored her teammate.

"Protectors." Agreed Cameron. There was a smug expression on his face, as it wasn't something he would consider lame.

"And we want you to join us." Mel finally stated the whole reason they were there in the first place.

"What do you say?"

Quinn's goofy smile faded at Isaac's proposed statement. Then, it reappeared, though it was more genuine and a tiny bit mischievous.

They took that as a 'yes'.

"Oh um, I forgot to say something." said Cameron, getting the attention of everyone. Mocha shifted uncomfortably.

"I thought we weren't gonna say it yet."

Cameron cut her a look. "It's important. We're gonna have to tell them some time or another. Do the honors?" he asked her.

She sighed a little. "T and I were monitoring the systems. There have been data increases in searches for Meta-Humans."

"What?" asked Quinn.

"Lots of people have been looking up Meta-Humans." Cameron rephrased.

"Oh."

"So we did a little bit more digging, you know hacking into systems and stuff." Mocha went on. "And as it turns out, someone has been looking up Metas with some of our abilities. I'm guessing it was that job we did a while ago. Someone must have seen the footage from before, and are trying to find out who we are." Said Mocha.

Nikki smirked. "Then we just can't let that happen."

**A/N: Hello! I hope you liked the chapter, even though it was still intro-y and list-like. I'm sorry about the lack of original cast members from the Young Justice Team. I just wanted to update, so I left it at this. All the accepted character will be introduced in some way or another in the next chapter (I was going to make it this chapter, but again, I wanted to get it updated; I hope you guys aren't mad at me). Also, let me know what you guys think! :D**

**Thank you rlb190, who helped add dialogue and edited. You're the best!**


	5. Data

Classical music softly played in the room. One wall was made completely out of mirrors. Some girls were using the Barres on the wall to stretch, while others did it themselves on the floor. Using the mirror, Quinn casually watched another girl in the classroom. This girl had flaxen blonde hair, put up in bun at the top of her head, pale skin, and pale blue eyes. She has a few freckles on her cheeks and when she smiled, she had dimples. The name of this girl was Addison Fray, often times referred to as Addie.

Addie was a freshman and according to Cameron and Mocha was, of course, a Meta-Human. That was surprising to Quinn, who spent time with her in school in Dance, a replacement for the much loathed Physical Education (seriously, who wants to stand around outside for 45 minutes?). Considering all things, Quinn should have been less surprised. She was, after all, a Meta-Human herself, and it seemed like their numbers in the world were growing.

Anyway, because they had a class together, she was designated the recruiter. But, until then, her duty was just to lay low and keep an eye on her. You know, make sure nothing happens.

There were several others the rest of the team was looking after too.

One of whom was Alexis Fleet.

At the age of fourteen, Alexis was a freshman who had a few common classes with Cameron, which made watching and communicating his assignment. The girl had long, straight blonde hair, and almost electric green eyes. Her features were accented by her tan skin. And at a height of five feet and three inches, she was rather thin. To most people, she wouldn't have seemed all that intimidating, but Cameron wasn't exactly the social one, even among hero standers.

* * *

"I'm exhausted." Virgil cried out as he slumped down on a bland colored sofa. He quickly threw off his shoes and stretched out. "Who knew this hero stuff was such hard work?"

Balancing school life and a social life was hard enough, but throwing a secret world of vigilantes and missions was overdoing it just a tad, especially as a teenager. Most people wouldn't even bother, but that's what made them special. And that's also what made this new group in Empire City suspicious. Extremely.

Bart quickly raced the blood sample they found to testing. Results wouldn't be available right away, but they could shave it down a few seconds by getting the sample to the Atom as quick as possible.

As everyone else did their own thing, Jaime checked in with Barbara.

"You wanted to see me?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's about your adventures in Empire City." Babs replied, showing a small, friendly smile.

"We didn't really find anything out."

She frowned at his disappointment, then turned to her computer and started typing away. "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't get anything all that useful either."

When Jaime raised an eyebrow at her, she continued. A list of names appeared on the main screen, along with their corresponding ages and locations. It was apparent to Jaime that it was a Meta-Human Index. The government, as well as the Justice League, decided it was in best interests to keep a tab on those with "gifts." It wasn't easy, and it probably wasn't foolproof, but it was as reliable as it could be. Except, when he realized why Barbara was showing him the list, he knew it would come with anything but good news.

"I can't find a single name available in Empire City anymore." Yep; that was definitely not good news.

"What do you mean anymore?" It was, indeed, suspicious. It wasn't like it was an easy task to hack into the League's server and delete information from the entire database. It took time, skills, maybe even a power, as far as Jaime could infer considering the first piece of evidence acquired on this group. "Do you think they know we're looking for them?"

"Not us, per se, but they're taking extra steps to protect their identities. I remember awhile back there was a few from Empire City. Not anymore. However, whoever cleared their names has to been an incredible hacker. It'd normally take weeks to get through the system." Jaime couldn't tell, but Barbara came up with the same conclusion he had. Skills, time; this Empire City group was determined.

* * *

Airi Tanaka was a girl of seventeen, who probably wouldn't have been in school if not for direct orders. She was fairly normal looking, being half Japanese and half Caucasian, but there was an air about her that kept others away. Plus, she was new, something that kept others away, not on purpose, but naturally. To her, it wasn't really a problem. She was apathetic toward the situation either way it went. It just meant fewer confrontations, less annoyances, and fewer casualties to her.

As the bell signaling lunch rang, she came to a stand and gathered her things. She was calm, unlike many of the other students, hurrying to get out the door and make it to the lunch line first. One person, however, fell behind.

Isaac made his way over to the girl, inapprehensive of the cool feeling she gave off. He smiled at her, to which she returned very quickly, without making eye contact, and walked off. Not quite knowing what he did to upset her, Isaac gave up the ploy for friendliness for the day, vowing to try again tomorrow, and left to lunch.

Little did he know, as he walked out of the classroom, Airi had stopped. Head bowed, she kept her eyes up and watched him leave.

"Hey," Mel greeted around her sandwich as Isaac sat down at the open spot next to her. Nikki took the seat across from him, her tray of cafeteria food set down on the table. It wasn't as bad as stereotypes claimed, but she could never understand having milk with a green sauce burrito. A few of their other friends were gathered around them, some rushing to finish homework for their next class that they neglected to do the night before, some socializing, and some eating.

Isaac nodded, obviously upset at being shot down just minutes before. The girls could tell something was up, though they hadn't the faintest idea of why. Just as they were about to ask, he spoke. "Where's Quinn? And the freshies?" The 'freshies' referring to Cameron and Mocha.

Mel dropped her voice and leaned in slightly. "Recruiting."

When she was sure he understood, she pointed across the cafeteria to a table where the missing members of this clique were located.

Sure enough, they seemed to be working the sales-pitch without actually giving anything away.

It was clear Addison was not completely comfortable around the arrival of new people, but that was why Mocha, and to some extent Cameron, was there. Moral support from fellow freshman. And while Cameron's target was not Addie, he wasn't sure he wanted to confront his "assignment" alone. So, he went along with the Addie mission before completing the Alexis mission. However, he continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye.

"You're Margaret Caffe, right?" Addie quietly asked as the other girl sat down. "And Cameron Vera?"

"Mocha." Cameron answered, which received a confused-eyebrow-raise from the blonde girl. "She… goes by Mocha."

A light blush appeared across Addie's cheeks as she looked down, clearly embarrassed. He didn't mean it as an insult, it was just a reaction, something one said as an automatic response.

Quinn huffed and rolled her eyes. _Boys._

"It's nice to meet you." Mocha went on, trying to defuse the awkwardness in the air. Addison looked up again. Politely, she smiled and nodded. Smiling back, and noticing the silence, Mocha elbowed Cameron in the stomach.

He grunted and rubbed the sore spot as he nodded along. "Yeah, uh, nice to meet you, Addie."

As Quinn and Mocha went on with speaking to the girl, Cameron placed his chin in his palm and discretely watched Alexis.

Alexis was a couple tables down, eating lunch with someone Cameron knew as Dylan Wyck. He was a sophomore and was pretty popular around school, being known for his kindness and smarts. He had green eyes and shoulder length brown hair. At the height of five foot six, with his athletic build, he was commonly a target among the sights of girls. On a related note, Dylan often went on dates with girls simply if they asked, but never had an official relationship with any of them. That irritated him, Cameron had to admit, as his watchful eye turned into a glare. He didn't really like recruiting, but he wasn't to let anything happen to his target.

Only when he heard Mocha's voice calling him back did he stop.

* * *

An older man, in about his mid-forties, sat at his desk. The room was somewhat dim, for no apparent reason. A knock on the door gathered his attention, causing him to lean forward in his chair. He placed his elbows on the table, connecting his hands just under his chin. There, he waited.

"Iznul?"

His platinum silver hair moved slightly as he raised his head just a tiny bit. He didn't bother to stand and, instead, called out. "Come in, Misandry."

The door opened and in stepped a woman. Her brown eyes met with his pale blue ones, and she shivered. She wasn't normally one to be intimidated, but that's how scary Iznul was. Until he spoke further, she just stood there, which wasn't desirable. Being looked at, obviously being judged, was never a good feeling. It was a feeling that made her want to lash out.

She didn't; she knew better.

"How was your day at school, Airi?" He grinned at her obvious displeasure on the subject, her eyes turning to slits as she glared at him.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm sorry this took so long to post and nothing exciting happens. I'm hoping to get things picked up by the next chapter.**

**Also, thank you to KingOfStories01, Dino724 , MarluxiaSasakiDoom, KitKat2014, and Kelly1432 for reviewing, and an extra big thanks for those who reviewed more than once. And thanks to rlb190, who not only reviewed, but also beta read. ****I really appreciate it guys! If you have any tips, suggestions, comments, concerns, or whatever, let me know. I'd love to have your input. **

**So, thanks for reading. Review if you can. :D**


	6. A Day in the Life of

**A/N: Hello! I noticed some of you thought the other chapters were short, and I appreciate you telling me, so I tried really hard to make this one longer. The word count is greater, but I don't know if it actually feels longer. Does that make sense?**

**Anyways, I also tried something different. I wanted to focus more on individual characters instead of following them around as a group. I hope it turns out all right. And I didn't get the chance to focus on everyone in this chapter, but I promise I will get to them in the next one. So yeah, enjoy!**

* * *

Airi sat in a somewhat uncomfortable chair across from Iznul. His face just irked her; as her codename suggested, the face of any man irked her. The fact that he was calm, sipping on his tea, just annoyed her all the more. The hatred in her gaze was loud and clear to Iznul, who held little to no fear of the teenager. No, instead he let the silence drag on, staring at her, knowing full well that she wanted to act out.

Again, she bit her lip and held in her rage, grumbling all the way there.

"Continue, Airi."

"Misandry." She corrected him almost immediately with a growl. Who was he to call her by her first name? The two weren't friends; this was strictly business, and when in the business, she went by Misandry, no exceptions.

With his left brow cocked, he eyed her. He leaned back in his chair, his trench coat duster opened at the front to allow more free movement. "I said continue."

Letting out a frustrated breath, she obeyed. But only after a few moments, just to let him know he had no control over her, even if he was the boss. "As far as I can tell, they do not know they are being followed. Or tracked."

The tone she used conveyed her irritation. And boredom. This wasn't her favorite pass-time in the slightest. If she had her way, Iznul would be a roach and she would be the leg that controlled the boot that stomped on him. Surprisingly, it was one of the reasons Iznul Vakira himself demanded her work. Sure, there was no doubt that she would be a loose cannon, but she had her pluses. She had power; something both of them were very understanding of.

"The group is unaware of my presence and my task."

"Did you know you are not the only one following them?" He asked, just to see how good she really was. It was apparent, as her face dropped, that she did not know. Not a second later, she composed herself and all traces of surprised had been wiped right off. "The League is after them. So, of course, I want them more. You will continue to watch them, during and out of school, Misandry."

"Of course, sir." She said in a mock tone. Airi did not know much of Iznul's past, but she knew he had a history with the Justice League.

"Luckily, for you, I've been giving them misguiding's. Then again, it doesn't take much to deter their little daycare system." Clearly, he wasn't very fond of the Justice League's team of protégés. "Their names seemed to have disappeared from their list of active Meta-Humans, which should give you some time to get me what I want."

She saw that as a dismissal and stood. Before exiting, however, she stood up tall and opened her mouth. "They're recruiting."

"Then you better get to work."

There was no doubt that was a dismissal.

_Jerk._

* * *

School ending for the day was normally a joyous time for students. The fact that it was a Friday only made it all the better. Friday nights were good in the way that, of course, there was no waking up early the next day to go to school. Others didn't understand how precious that was. The team went on patrol almost every night, so not having to worry about school, among other things, was a blessing.

With that thought in their minds, they went their separate ways.

* * *

Nikki generally disliked being home when her parents were there with her. It was not as big a problem as it should have been, seeing as her family was comfortably wealthy and, unlike the rest of the team that lived in apartments in the city, the Di Angelo's owned a rather large house; it was more a sense of having it, when others could not, rather than living like everyone else. A normal person might seek refuge in their room or, at least, somewhere in the big house where the other person was not.

Nikki tried for solitude with great determination, but ultimately failed. She just wanted a day where she didn't have to worry about fighting criminals and, even more, fighting her mother. Which wasn't all that easy.

That was actually how her power developed. Nikki was having one of her fights with her mom; nothing out of the ordinary for the brunette girl. But this argument was particularly nasty. It was almost a wish coming true, really. Nikki just wished to disappear, to go away, wanting nothing more at that moment. On cue, like magic, she did disappear.

Well, teleported.

And just like that, Shadow was born.

Right now, her mother was raving on about having a family portrait done, which Nikki admittedly did not want to be in.

"I only wish you hadn't ruined your hair with that silly boyish haircut." Martha Di Angelo sighed, glancing at her daughter. At the snide comment, Nikki, who was slouching in a nearby armchair, looked up. Her hair was fine and flattering, albeit she did miss her long hair from time to time, but the pixie cut gave her a much greater benefit. For one, as just previously witnessed, her mother hated it. And that was all she really needed. "Maybe we can get you extensions for the photo."

For once, instead of just antagonizing her mom, Nikki scrunched up her face, which was instigating enough for the older woman, got up, and left. "Whatever."

* * *

Being in dance was fortunate on Quinn's part. She loved to dance and so did Addie. It gave her a reason to start talking to Addie when she entered high school this year and it really made it a heck of a lot easier for her first assigned mission as a superhero.

The two went back to the where Quinn lived. The Vertt family was moderately wealthy and, like Mocha and her family, lived in an apartment on the more expensive side of the spectrum. It was a different side of the city than Addie lived on, who could openly admit to moving around a lot and not always have all the money in the world.

A passion shared between the two girls was obviously dance and ballet. Addie had been dancing since age four and Quinn started at age five, which added up to eleven years of total experience for each of them. In all her modesty and love for the subject, Quinn took any opportunity she could to learn more. That gave her an excuse to have Addison over.

"Have you heard of this new group of Meta-Humans?" Addie brought up. There had been no hint of them before that, so when she said it, Quinn had to try to conceal her jump of surprise and gave her the _'whatever-do-you-mean?_' look.

_Oh crud!_

"They're all over the news. You haven't seen them?"

Quinn could honestly say she had not. Before a few nights ago, she didn't even know they existed (ironically, now she was a part of them). But between dance and school and that one very odd night when she got into a fight, knocked out, and apparently rescued by them, there was no time to watch the news. Not to mention, watching the news wasn't exactly something she liked to do.

Television, yes, but news, no.

"They're pretty amazing." She admitted in shy admiration. She could feel the heat on her face as she started to lightly blush. But she smiled all the same when Quinn did at the compliment Addie did not know she had just given her. "Almost like superheroes."

"Really?"

"Yeah. There was this lady that was on the other day; she said they saved her." Quinn hadn't even realized that her friends were doing all this stuff. She had tried it on her own, but didn't really get anywhere. But as a group, they were actually saving people, helping those who needed it. To be quite frank, Quinn didn't really think they were doing anything like that. She thought it was a way for people who were different to feel not so different. Suddenly, she was really glad she took up the offer to join. And maybe it wasn't going to be so hard to convince Addie to join too. "She said there was this guy, he had these… _claws _on his hands." Addie told her.

By the simple description, Quinn realized it was Isaac─ err, Fang ─that Addie was talking about. He could mimic the abilities of any animal alive, a limit of two abilities at a time.

"He even had wings and could fly." Addie went on. "And then there was this girl who was able to take down the mugger with a blast of light!"

_Mel_, Quinn softly snorted to herself.

"Wouldn't it be cool to meet them?" she asked the other girl. Addie blushed at the question and hid her face. "Don't you think so?"

Addison began to squirm uncomfortably. "I don't know. I wouldn't even know what to say if I met them; it'd be so embarrassing."

Quinn sighed then looked up at her. "You wanna know a secret?"

"What kind of secret?"

Quinn bit her lip and went in for the kill.

* * *

The late afternoon was a busy time in Empire City. The road was jam-packed with cars. It didn't help that it was Friday, when everyone who owned a vehicle was out and about.

Cameron, fortunately, or unfortunately depending on which way you look at it, did not drive. He was only fourteen but still couldn't wait for when he could get his license. It was lucky that Alexis Fleet didn't drive either; that would have made following her somewhat difficult.

He kept a safe distance away from the blonde, not wanting to tip her off. He wasn't even sure where she was going; the girl had already been to her home, but before long she slammed the door behind her and stomped out of the building. That was almost half an hour ago and it didn't seem like they were going to be stopping any time soon. Cameron closed his eyes, risking a run-in with another pedestrian, and exhaled. This was a really tedious task.

He might have found it a little more enjoyable if Mocha was there with him, but alas, she was not; she was at home, entertaining her sister, Daisy, who was visiting from college for the weekend. Isaac and Mel weren't able to come either, as everyone else seemed to be taking the night off; at least someone had to be on patrol.

That left him here all alone imitating a stalker.

"Gah!" He grunted from an unexpected impact on his left side. It wasn't like he ran into anyone; it was more like a tackle. Cameron recovered as quickly as he could and threw the other person off of him. Just as quickly, he pulled out his communicator. Since he wasn't officially on duty, he didn't have it on. As he heard the other person getting up, he furiously typed and pressed the send button.

Knowing that the other person was now behind him, he threw down the device, and rounded with his elbow out. He hit his attacker in the gut and as he fully turned around, threw a punch. As the boy recoiled, Cameron realized he knew who it was.

"Why are you following her?" Dylan Wyck shouted at him.

As the words left his mouth, Dylan's outfit changed. It was weird and, actually, kind of awesome. It was a full body outfit, with a black and green shirt, and black pants. With the green boots and helmet, Cameron thought it looked awfully like that of a Lantern's.

Cameron's jaw dropped. This was a complete and utter shock to him. Dylan had powers, but he wasn't on the list, because he wasn't Meta-Human. Cameron watched as the other boy formed a construct of a hammer; Dylan was a lantern.

Great.

* * *

Mocha was laughing when her phone went off. Since her sister was there, she was fairly happy. Dividing her attention, she pulled out the cell. Her laughing faded as she noticed who it was from; Cameron.

"That your boyfriend?" Daisy smiled as she peeked over at the screen. Embarrassed, Mocha pulled the phone towards herself to block her sister's view.

"No." She answered quickly and walked into her room. Opening the message, she was surprised to see two street names and "hurry" all in caps. Mocha began to dial as she searched around her room.

"Hello?" A voice from the other side answered.

"Nikki, I need you to come over. Cameron just sent me a message. I think he's in trouble."

As soon as she finished her sentence, Nikki was right there in front of her. She jumped at the sudden appearance then hung up her phone. Nikki followed suit then smirked.

"Were you on patrol or something? Why are you already dressed?" Mocha noticed her choice of attire. Nikki shrugged and rolled her eyes. The truth was that she had already been planning to go out as Shadow because her mother was getting on her nerves; there was no way she was going to stay in that house. Mocha just happened to want her at the right time.

"You needed me?"

"Right. Sorry. I'm gonna go change. You get into contact with Isaac and Mel and tell them the location Cameron's at." Before going off, Mocha tossed her phone at the older girl. As ordered, Nikki unlocked the screen and forwarded the message.

"Ready to go?" Shadow asked, donning her mask now that Gizmo was changed. She nodded, then took Shadow's arm and held on tight as they teleported to Cameron's location.

* * *

Alectrona landed on top of a roof in front of Fang, who had just landed not a moment ago.

"Everything looks fine for now." She reported. Her black hair was swirling around her body in the breeze. It was a good day when there wasn't much to worry about.

"Pretty mellow for a Friday night." He agreed before both their communicators began to beep. Simultaneously, they took out the little computers and read the message.

"It's from Mocha." Mel stated aloud, a hint of concern in her tone. Being warmhearted and caring, she formed a bond with almost everyone she came into contact with. Mocha was no different, so when she got a text like this, she immediately grew anxious.

"Forwarded." It was said to calm her down a little bit, but it didn't. Fang continued on. "From Cameron."

"Do you think they need our help?"

"Only one way to find out."

"Oh boy, this will be interesting."

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to Dino724 and rlb190 for helping me out. **

**And please review. :)**


	7. Recruits

"You're joking." Addie's eyes widened. There was no way whatsoever that Quinn not only knew, but was a member of, the strange group of heroes that had recently surfaced. Her whole face was turning a bright red color; she was so embarrassed that she wished she had worn her hair down, if only to hide her face. Quinn stared at her, face straight and one-hundred percent serious.

'_That was mean,'_ Addie thought to herself, gearing up to leave at a sprint out the front door. Quinn had always been friendly; why was she teasing her? Addie admired the group that was going around the city saving people. What more could you want, to be a hero? Quinn didn't have to make a joke out of her.

"I'm s-sorry. I have t-t-to go." The blonde stuttered then took off at a run.

"No, no wait!" Quinn quickly ran after her. Out of all the possibilities, she didn't think Addison would react like that. Then again, she had freaked when they approached her too. She suddenly felt really bad. As guilt surged through her body, Quinn chased the other girl. Her tactic had been off; it should have been slower and more heart-felt, maybe, rather than just confessing. Honestly, who would believe her? No one with a right mind, that was for sure. She barely believed it and she had been ambushed by everyone in their costumes. "Addie, wait!"

The blonde did not let up her pace at the calls. Hoping to leave without another word, as tears were starting to form in her eyes, Addie closed the front door as she exited. She even locked the bottom lock on her way out to slow the older girl down, just a little bit, when the door shut. In theory, it would give her enough time to get to the elevator without Quinn being able to get in before those doors shut.

"Dammit," Quinn cursed as she tried to pull the door open. It was one of those times that she really hated Sir Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion, where for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, since the door could not open, the reaction was Quinn running directly into the wooden slab where she would have been able to exit. She grunted and shook off the impact before phasing directly through it out of sheer frustration. "Gah!"

Phasing through part of the building shaved some seconds off, much to Addie's dismay. Addie pounded on the 'shut' button. _Why did that button never work?_ She really didn't want to see Quinn right now and she didn't want Quinn to see her. Not like this, embarrassed and angry.

"Addie, wait!"

Addison jumped back to the furthest wall as Quinn phased right through the elevator door. Mouth open and speechless, Addison froze.

"I wasn't joking." Quinn told her through a small grin.

The girl stayed quiet, still in shock.

"It's not the first time you've seen a Meta. Addie, c'mon."

That seemed to catch Addison's attention, precisely what Quinn had wanted. Eying her, Quinn's grin grew. For good reason, too.

Addie's blue-gray eyes twinkled at the words. Raising her hand, a small gust of wind circled around the two girls. As Addie smiled, her dimples shown. She was still embarrassed, but for a different reason now. Humiliation was no longer on her mind, it was the fact that she was kind of showing off something she could be proud of. In awe, Quinn watched as the wind did a small dance in the enclosed space then slowly and gracefully diminished.

"You really know them?" She asked in a hopeful tone.

"You've met them too." Quinn said, stepping up to give her a friendly hug. It calmed her down a bit, which was good. As her tension eased, Quinn felt reassured. "They go to school with us."

Addie winced, her eyebrows tensing and raising.

"What?"

"They go to school with us?" Addie was once again in disbelief. "Superheroes. In high school?"

"They make it work."

Smiling again, Addie was intrigued.

"Do you really admire them?"

"They help people; of course I do."

"We want you to join our team then."

That took Addie at a greater surprise than when Quinn had phased through the door. They finally arrived at the lobby with the ding. The elevator opened up and exposed the fairly crowded room.

"You're joking." She said again, unable to believe any of her friend's words.

Quinn shook her head and stepped out. "We could make you a costume and everything."

It took a moment for Addie to respond. Smiling and shaking her head in disbelief, she finally answered. "I can't believe this. But, it sounds like fun."

* * *

Gasping for air, the two girls reappeared in the alleyway. It was a quick process, teleporting, but nerve-racking for anybody not used to it. It was something that involved an unusual feeling of pressure. It's dizzying and disarraying and weakening in the knees when reaching the destination. Nothing about it felt natural. Not for Nikki, however. To her, it felt like freedom.

The girls looked around, surprised to see Cameron and a Lantern squaring off. They realized why he sent them a text in less than a second flat. The Lantern had an athletic build and was taller than the other boy. And the way he was fighting suggested he was not giving a hundred percent; he was clearly capable of doing a great deal of damage, but it looked as if he did not want to cause any injuries. Cameron was putting a lot more effort into their quarrel, not that it was much of a problem for him either.

Shadow let go of Gizmo and teleported again, appearing behind the Lantern this time. She quickly grabbed his forearm and teleported.

"Cameron!" Gizmo sprinted toward him. In the minutes they had taken to get there, he had exerted himself and was tired, wanting nothing more than a bottle of water and to sit down. He did as soon as he saw that Shadow disappeared with Dylan. Panting, Cameron placed his arms on his knees. "What happened? How on earth did you get into a fight with a Lantern?"

Still trying to catch his breath, he found it difficult to answer.

"Looks like they started the party without us."

Fang stated aloud when he saw his teammate appear in the sky before him. Alectrona was flying beside him, but abruptly stopped when she saw what he was talking about.

Her greens eyes locked onto the image of Shadow teleporting very high up off the ground, well above the buildings in this area of the city. She was hanging onto someone; a person they could only identify as a Lantern. That was a brightly flashing red light in their minds. It was obvious he got his power from green lantern energy, but that didn't explain why he was engaged in a fight with Nikki. And Cameron, for that matter.

Suddenly, Shadow teleported away, leaving the boy falling after she vanished.

Both Fang and Alectrona sped up when they noticed he didn't start floating. Green Lanterns were able to fly, right? Why wasn't he!? Or at least they could create a construct that would break their fall before they fell to their death.

Fang managed to catch him at about the height the building's rooftop was. It was something he could be proud of, saving someone.

"That was a close one." Alectrona breathed out, catching up to Fang.

"You're telling me." With the quick shot of adrenaline wearing off, he was panting just a tiny bit now. "Hey! What's going on?"

The arrival of Fang and Alectrona, especially with the Lantern, startled the group of three down in the alleyway. The seriousness in his tone only frightened them more. He wasn't normally serious; that must have meant something was wrong.

Finally having caught his breath, Cameron spoke. "It's Dylan… Wyck."

That took the girls off guard more than the arrival of their unofficial team leader.

"We go to school with him."

"I know," Nikki shot a look at Gizmo. She resisted calling her 'Captain Obvious' or something along those lines and quickly ran over to the other juniors of the group.

"You all right, Dylan?" Mel gently pat the boy's back.

"I'm fine." He answered, brushing himself off. "I prefer Tech Lantern, though."

"Tech Lantern?" Cameron stood up and scowled at him. He then pointed to himself. "Techie."

"Guys," Alectrona intervened. "C'mon. What happened?"

"He attacked me." Quickly answered Cameron.

"He was following my friend. I was only looking to protect her." countered Tech Lantern, now removing his helmet. With the lack of headgear, his green eyes were exposed and his brown hair fell loosely around his shoulders.

Smiling, and holding in a small chuckle at the stupidity of all this shenanigans, Alectrona went on. "Your friend─ you mean, Alexis Fleet?"

"How did you know?"

"Because that's why Cameron was following her. We just want to protect her too. Believe me, we don't mean any harm to Alexis." Dylan stared at Mel. She could see the sudden guilt appear in his eyes. The poor guy felt bad, having just been informed of the truth of the situation. He believed what Melody was saying.

Feeling a tad embarrassed, the Lantern turned to the boy he had previously been aggressive towards. "A misunderstanding. I'm sorry." Cameron gave a quick nod, not very enthusiastically one might add, and brushed himself off.

"Let's go." He murmured to Mocha, tugging her along as they left the alleyway.

"I'm sorry; I did not mean to attack him."

"It's okay, Dylan. Cameron can be a little socially awkward sometimes. It's nothing to worry about." Mel replied.

"And I'm sorry for dropping you." Shadow quickly threw in an apology.

"Yeah, come to think of it, why didn't you save yourself?" Fang asked.

"I didn't have enough energy." When he saw the weird looks he was getting from everyone, he went on. "I've been using it lately and I usually run out of power rather quickly."

"That sucks." Isaac chuckled, walking about the alley and checking random things out. "It'd be pretty cool to have a Lantern on the team."

At the half-mumbled words, Mel jumped up and down in excitement. "That'd be amazing! You have to join, Dylan!"

"You have a team?" There was a small blush forming on the boy's cheeks as Mel's large and sparkling green eyes gazed up at him.

"Well, we don't dress up like this for no reason." Replied Nikki in a joking tone. As a response, he gave a soft laugh and nodded in understanding. Smiling hopefully, Mel continued to stare.

"Please?"

Dylan bit his lip, staring at Alectrona, who wore a pouty face when he didn't give an answer right away. "Okay."

At the agreement, Mel's pout completely disappeared. It was quickly replaced with an excited squeal and some clapping. Walking over to him, Fang smiled and pat him on the back. "Welcome to our team."

* * *

It took about twenty minutes to find Alexis again, which was based on pure luck. As Cameron and Mocha walked by the book store, they had managed to see her through the window. After a double-take, the two walked into the building and quietly followed her around.

Cameron had been nice enough to lend Mocha his coat so she could cover her 'hero' shirt while they were in public. At this moment, she was trying to find a way to get Cameron and Alexis to talk to each other. Cameron was shy around strangers, but Alexis wasn't technically a stranger. They had half their schedule of classes together, so at least he would be a face she recognized if asked and the other way around. If there was a way to get her to talk to him first, it would break the ice and allow for a friendlier, and less weird, approach.

Alexis walked around the store, searching for a book. She liked reading, though she wasn't exactly a bookworm. This particular trip to the store was a result of a disagreement with her aunt. It was just to escape for the moment and cool down.

"Here, hold this." Mocha shoved a random hardcover out at him, grabbing several others on her way. As they moved through the aisles, Mocha made a point to peek over the shelves and keep an eye on the other girl. Giving Cameron a book with each step she took, the stack in his arms continued to grow.

"We aren't here to shop." He whispered to her, a slight commanding hiss in his tone.

_'Jeez,_' He thought to himself. _'You can't take girls anywhere.'_

"Yeah, yeah." She shrugged him off with a wave, continuing to add books to the pile he was holding.

"We're supposed to be looking out for Alexis."

"What do you think I'm doing?" The stack that Cameron was holding was tall and starting to get heavy. All of it added up was making it difficult for Cameron to see where he was going. However, he could clearly see the smile on Mocha's face. "We'll look suspicious if we walk around a book store and not stop to look at anything─ oh, crap. She's coming!"

There was no time to hide. Cameron lifted the stack of books up and hid his face while Mocha ducked behind him. Still, she watched as the blonde, book open in her hands, walked in front of the isle they were trying to conceal themselves in. Alexis barely even noticed them. This was good for Mocha as she made her next move.

With all her might, she pushed Cameron forward.

He gasped at the unexpected thrust from his friend. So did Alexis when he collided with her, books flying this way and that. By the time he figured out what happened, both he and Alexis were on the floor and Mocha was nowhere to be seen.

Mentally cursing her with a shake of his head, Cameron tried to play it off and began to pick up everything he had dropped.

"I am so sorry." Alexis apologized to him as she helped him with his task. The boy froze. Instantly, he knew that was Mocha's plan. Now, there was no avoiding her. There was no doubt she would recognize him and there was no hiding the fact that he knew her too. "I didn't see you there. I was in such a hurry."

"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "It's, um, it's all right."

Glancing at her, Cameron found himself feeling alert and ready for almost anything.

"Hey, you're in my class. Aren't you?" She looked him over, trying to make sure she was correct.

He nodded. "Uh, yeah. Cameron Vera."

"Alexis Fleet." Smiling at him, she replied and picked up another book, ready to hand it to him. Her smile faltered, but remained put, as she looked at the book's cover_. What's Going On Down There_, the cover read, _Answers to Questions Boys Find Hard to Ask._ She held in a laugh as she handed it to him, the cover art being three boys with the title box covering the innuendo the subtext suggested. Coughing, to shake it off, Alexis passed the book over.

"It's a gift I'm _returning_." Cameron's voice shook as he took it back_. 'Friggin Mocha.'_

"Of course." It was said with one of those _I-don't-believe-you_ kinds of tones. The pile was practically put back together by now, the mess on the floor disappearing in the process. As Alexis began to reach for her own reading material, Cameron noticed that her bag had also spilled open. There, he saw a white tunic-like piece of cloth and a golden headdress with white beads spaced evenly along it.

When she realized what he was looking at, she stopped what she was doing, shoved everything back into her purse, and stood with a smile on her face.

"I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Uh," Still a bit dumbfounded, Cameron had to take a moment to answer. Even then, his mind desperately wondered what that was that Alexis was carrying. "Yeah. Sure. Bye."

* * *

Barbara stared at her computer screen in something that could only be utter shock. She was currently at the Watchtower, doing research by herself while the boys were out doing their own things. Apparently, they all had some important family matters to tend to. That left Babs here by herself.

Not that she minded, but when she uncovered something, she liked to let people know.

"Oh my gosh." The redhead did another cross check just to be sure. "This can't be right."

Even the triple check seemed doubtful to her. The list of Meta's she was using was old, the firsts of the firsts, since the updated one was no longer reliable. But it was still suspicious when most of the people recorded in the 'Meta-thesaurus' were now missing.

Barbara leaned back in her chair and thought to herself. After a couple moments, she leaned forward and began typing again.

"Could that group of Meta's have anything to do with this?" She wondered aloud.

* * *

Across the street from the bookstore, a certain someone dropped the binoculars she had been holding. She blinked once and lifted them back up again, getting a good look at the girl with the blonde hair, and the two others in the store.

"Now what the hell does that _dog_, Iznul, want with this team?" She muttered, dropping them again.

"Airi." Came his voice through her ear piece.

"Speak of the devil." She muttered. She pressed the ear piece. "What?" She asked him, irritated. "It's Misandry." She reminded him bitterly.

"Whichever. Report back to me."

"Now?" The girl complained.

"Yes, now."

* * *

**A/N: Hey there everyone! I'm sorry about the wait for this chapter. I was feeling really stressed out about stuff and I felt really discouraged when I tried to write. Either way, I hope you guys like this chapter.**

**And, as always, thanks to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate it! And thanks to rlb190 for being an awesome Beta and also adding some stuff, especially at the end, to help give the story some plot.**


End file.
